FIFA World Cup bidding process worries Damian Collins MP

Chuck Blazer's "extraordinary" testimony casts new doubt on the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process, according to a leading campaigner for FIFA reform. A transcript of FIFA whistleblower Blazer's 2013 courtroom evidence revealed claims he and others accepted kickbacks in conjunction with the selection of the host nations for the 1998 and 2010 World Cups. Former FIFA and CONCACAF member Blazer pleaded guilty to corruption charges, and there was no mention in his testimony of the bidding process which resulted in Russia and Qatar winning hosting rights for 2018 and 2022. Both countries deny any wrongdoing and insist their tournaments will go ahead as scheduled, but Damian Collins MP says Blazer's evidence will inevitably increase the pressure for a re-vote. Collins told Sky Sports News HQ: "Chuck Blazer's evidence is extraordinary and lifts the lid on a culture of corruption at FIFA going back decades.

"The inevitable questions... who are the other people that are implicated in Chuck Blazer's evidence? And how widespread is it? Do we think this culture was also evident in the more recent World Cup bidding process in 2010? "It's hard for anyone to believe that process could have been entirely safe, given what we now know about previous World Cup bids."

Collins believes Sepp Blatter must go immediately to facilitate genuine FIFA reform and has called on the organisation to rerun the 2018 and 2022 bids now rather than wait for the outcome of a Swiss investigation into possible criminal wrongdoing. He added: "My concern is FIFA will duck the decision and it won't be until criminal charges are brought forward by the Swiss authorities that it becomes inevetable it has to be rerun. "Now is the time to do it. We have to have confidence there's been a clean and safe process - the safest thing would be to allow everyone who bid before to resubmit their bids and have a new FIFA executive committee to consider them properly."

Tottenham 'must keep Hugo Lloris', says Jan Vertonghen

Tottenham must show they are serious Champions League contenders by keeping hold of Hugo Lloris this summer, according to vice-captain Jan Vertonghen. Vertonghen will go up against his club captain this weekend when Belgium play France in a friendly at the Stade de France and he believes Spurs must resist any attempt to prise Lloris away from north London. The France goalkeeper and captain has been linked with a move to Manchester United, who could lose David de Gea to Real Madrid this summer. And Vertonghen, who is Lloris' deputy at White Hart Lane, told Sky Sports News HQ: "He's a great guy, great captain, great goalkeeper and a brilliant player for us. He's the captain, very important and this season he was one of our best players.

"He's been outstanding for us and if you want to continue growing as a club you have to keep your best players and Hugo is one of them. I hope Tottenham can keep him. It will be a sign for everyone next year that we want to compete in the Premier League. "We ended the season well in the last two games and we didn't expect to finish fifth. Hopefully we can continue to push for fourth. We've got four big teams ahead of us at the moment but we have to find a way to beat them."